Captain's Log, Stardate 08.31.2006 TMI: Writing: Please pray, I’m working hard on my second book’s plot and stuff and it’s coming together more slowly than I’d like. Diet: I found out that the acid in blueberries eats away at my tooth enamel! I’m so bummed! Blueberries are my favorite snack. But if I eat more than a handful, my teeth become extremely sensitive at the gumline, similar to when I drink soda with citric acid. My dentist says the citric acid eats away at my enamel. Due blueberries have citric acid? Or maybe it’s ascorbic acid that’s eating at my teeth? Who knows—I now have a whole pint in my fridge that I have to get my husband to eat before they go bad. Maybe I should make muffins. Any interesting blueberry recipes? Shortbread count = 3. :(

SHE’S ALL THAT by Kristin Billerbeck From the back cover: Contemplating life, love and the pursuit of the perfect pedicure. Best friends since Johnny Depp wore scissors for hands, "The Spa Girls" live very separate lives, but stay in touch with regular--and sometimes emergency--visits to California's Spa Del Mar. There's diamond heiress Morgan Malliard, who's self-sacrificing to a fault; alternative healer Dr. Poppy Clayton, who can't meet a man without asking about his colon; and finally, up-and-coming fashion designer Lilly Jacobs, who thinks her bad hair is the root of all her troubles. The first novel in the Spa Girls Collection focuses on Lilly, whose coveted promotion is given to a less-talented co-worker, and who then finds her boyfriend with another girl . . . all on the same day! Lilly needs a spa weekend and then some. But it's going to take more than a facial and a massage to fix her problems: She's given herself just six months to succeed ...

LAMBERT'S CODE by Rachel Hauck ETHAN AND JULIE'S DREAM ENDS... After three years of medical treatment, Julie Lambert faces the irrefutable truth: She will never have children. Devastated, lost, and alone, she buries her pain by making several life decisions that threaten her relationship with her husband, Ethan. Ethan Lambert can't imagine a life without Julie. Yet, his marriage is failing and he doesn't know how to save it. Urged by his grandpa, Ethan launches a journey to understand the Lambert Family Code--submit one to another. Can Ethan and Julie overcome the loss of their dream and rediscover their love for each other? Will they learn to live by Lambert's Code? Camy here: I really like the fact that this book deals with a married couple. Their issues of communication and submission are applicable not just for married but also dating couples, because I was reminded of the kinds of fights my husband and I had before the wedding. The stress of Julie's infert...

A FAMILY FOREVER by Brenda Coulter Book description: Devastated by the accidental death of her fiancé just three weeks before their wedding, violinist Shelby Franklin has just learned she carries his child. She can't give up the baby, but the only way she can keep it is by accepting a shocking proposal of marriage from a man who doesn't seem to like her very much. Bike shop owner and semi-pro cyclist Tucker Sharpe owes Shelby more than she will ever understand. Determined to protect her and his brother's child, he presses Shelby to marry him. He insists that if they make an honest effort, God will bless their marriage and teach them to care for each other. But can it really be that simple? Can two people will themselves to fall in love? Excerpt from A FAMILY FOREVER Camy here: I liked Brenda’s debut novel FINDING HOPE (which won a billion awards or something like that, but you know, she’s modest about those) so I was eagerly anticipating this, her sophomore release. She a...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.30.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry . My Monday book giveaway is the Coffee Cup Bible Study books by Sandra Glahn . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE GUY I'M NOT DATING and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Book reviews: I posted a couple book reviews (below) for your viewing pleasure: BAD HEIRESS DAY by Allie Pleiter RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker PINK by Marilynn Griffith And no, I didn’t get paid to say nice things about them. TMI: Writing: I posted another synopsis writing tip at my Story Sensei blog . And I’m working on book 2 for Single Sushi . Please pray for me if you get a chance. I feel like the creative well has run dry. Any suggestions? Diet: I exercised today! It felt really sluggish at first, possibly because it had been 3 days since I last exercis...

PINK by Marilynn Griffith From the back cover: HIGH FASHION MEETS ROMANCE IN THE BIG APPLE FOR A FRESH, FUNKY DESIGNER Raya Joseph wants to break free from the beige world around her and celebrate the color of the city. With a sassy pink style and a radical change of hair, she’s off to conquer the design world. But it doesn’t take long for Raya to meet her match—in style and flair. Flex Dunham, a personal trainer and one of Raya’s clients, has got it going on. As much as Raya would like to pursue a relationship with Flex, she has other matters on her mind—and on her heart. Then a blast from the past comes back to haunt her, and Raya can’t help but wonder if she made the right decision in keeping her past a secret. Flex seems to be hiding something too. But what? Woven with humor, heartache, and hip friendships, Raya’s new life as a lot of colorful threads. But will the end result be a beautiful design? Or will it fall apart at the seams? Join Raya and her friends Lily Chau, Jean Guerr...

RECONSTRUCTING NATALIE by Laura Jensen Walker From the back cover: "You think you're self-conscious about YOUR lack of cleavage?!" You wouldn't think the words "breast cancer" and "hilarity" belonged in the same book, much less the same sentence, but chick lit author and breast cancer survivor Laura Jensen Walker knows how to address painful topics with a wink and a smile. Reconstructing Natalie is the story of a woman whose breast cancer is the catalyst for some serious changes—not the least of which is her cup size! Holding tight to her old friends while reaching out to new ones, Natalie must redefine herself and her faith on new terms. Excerpt of chapter one on Amazon. Camy here: It is not a good idea to read this book while suffering allergies, because hooting and snorting in laughter through a runny nose is quite difficult. Then crying tears only adds to the fluids leaking out of my face. But I can honestly say it was entirely worth it. This ...

BAD HEIRESS DAY by Allie Pleiter From the back cover: What would you do with $1 million? That's a question Darcy Nightengale never thought she'd need to answer. But a sudden inheritance of just over $1 million begs a more immediate response. And when Darcy learns of her father's last request that she "give it all away," she discovers just how quickly big money makes big problems. Her husband believes that charity begins at home. His home. And her children are sure it's only a matter of time before the presents start rolling in. Right? Darcy wants to do the right thing--as soon as she can figure out what it is. Can the path of righteousness be paved with gold? Darcy's surprising answer turns her world on end. Camy here: This was a well-written novel, and I think the powerful theme of this story would appeal to a majority of readers quite well. I don't have children and I haven't yet lost a parent, so I personally didn't quite relate as well to ...

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.29.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry . My Monday book giveaway is the Coffee Cup Bible Study books by Sandra Glahn . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for THE GUY I'M NOT DATING and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Movie! I finally saw The Devil Wears Prada yesterday with Shelley Bates . It was good! Good character arc. Now I will confess that I have NOT read the book yet ( Bad, Camy! Bad, Camy! ). I have it on my TBR pile where it stares balefully at me. I just had too many other things to read. But the storyline in the movie was great. There were only a few things that niggled me—like why she would want a job at a fashion magazine when she so disdains them all, and the cutie Christian-somethinglastname writer who suddenly (and rather uncharacteristically) turned into power-hungry...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.28.2006 I met Sandra Glahn at ICRS in July and was immediately fascinated by her Coffee Cup Bible Study series. I mean, coffee and Bible study! What’s not to like? Sandi has four awesome Bible study books: JAVA WITH THE JUDGES , SOLOMON LATTE , MOCHA ON THE MOUNT , and ESPRESSO WITH ESTHER . And now, here's my interview with Sandi! What is the theme of the Coffee Cup Bible Studies? How did you come up with it? Who did you write these studies for? I call them Bible Studies for Women on the Go because I wrote them "for smart girls with full schedules." I taught Women's Bible Study at my church on and off for about ten years, and I designed my own, based on what I needed/wanted in a Bible study. It needed... ...to go deep--not Bible study lite--but without getting too complex or cerebral. ...to be physically small enough to throw in a purse or diaper bag. ...to contain the complete Bible text bein...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.27.2006 Leave any prayer requests in the comments and I’ll be praying this week. You don’t have to be Christian to leave a prayer request. If you’d rather not advertise to everyone on the blogosphere, just leave an unspoken prayer request or e-mail me. If I forgot your prayer request, e-mail me. Not to be mean or anything, but if you don't e-mail me or comment to update your prayer request, I'm only going to pray 3 Sundays. Lord, thank you for this day. Continue to give Jaen and her family strength and courage. Make them aware of your presence in their lives. Provide abundantly for them. I lift up Gail, Brenda and Bob to you. Provide everything they need and ease Brenda's pain. I pray for your spirit over Nancy B.'s aunt and her family. Give Heather everything she needs for her new book. Help her to continue to trust you completely and resist Satan's lies. Give her strength and fortitude. I pray for peace for Pammer and her family. Give he...

A friend of mine appears in this video (he's the gray-haired bad guy) which is made for karaoke. If you've ever seen Chow Yun Fat movies like The Replacement Killers or Hard-Boiled , you will think this is the funniest video since Grandma fell into the wedding cake. If you've never seen those movies, it might still be rather funny to you. The song is "You Light Up My Life." It's a little violent, but if you've seen the aforementioned movies, you probably already expected that.

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.25.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Monday book giveaway is EMILY EVER AFTER by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbilt . My Thursday book giveaway is THE GUY I'M NOT DATING by Trish Perry . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for EMILY EVER AFTER and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Mothers, Daughters, Sisters: I loved this passage: "We are not all mothers, but we all had one. Or longed for one. The relationship between a mother and daughter is a holy, tender, fierce thing fraught with land mines and umbilical cords that stretch and sometimes strangle." The visual is both funny and true. I also liked this: "Many a good woman makes the desperate mistake of believing that her daughter is a reflection of herself, an extension of herself, and therefore the verdict on her as a mother and as a woman." When I read that, it resonated with me even ...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.24.2006 Fabulous chick-lit author Trish Perry is blogging with me today! Trish's debut chick-lit novel is  THE GUY I'M NOT DATING . Kara Richardson has finally suffered one breakup too many. She's decided to go the no-dating route to romance, although she's not quite sure how that works. She couldn't have picked a worse time to meet Gabe Paolino. Gorgeous men hardly faze Kara. A personal trainer, she works with hunks every day. But Gabe, the handsome young deli owner in town, proves way too available and way too challenging for Kara's vow of friendship. How will she adhere to her new lifestyle without scaring Gabe away? Enter matchmaking friends, a strange elderly aunt, three demanding teens, and one hard-to-take vixen with eyes for Gabe. Add an overcrowded road trip and plenty of God's blessings, and Kara may discover that the guy she's not dating is the best boyfriend she's ever had. And now, here's Trish...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.23.2006 Self-discipline: So y'all know I've been struggling with this for at least a year now, in relation to my writing, exercise, diet. And I'm still struggling. So now I come to you guys for more help. How the heck do you discipline yourself??? I've been trying this new thing where I don't check e-mail until the evening so that I'm forced to do work all day. It's going okay, but I don't always fight the temptation to open my e-mail. So??? Any tips for someone like me??? TMI: Writing: Speaking of tips, I posted another synopsis-trimming tip on my Story Sensei blog . If you guys have a question for me, just e-mail me. I'm working on the new story. Using Donald Maass's WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK to find more conflict, obstacles, turning points. This book totally rocks.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.20.2006 Leave any prayer requests in the comments and I’ll be praying this week. You don’t have to be Christian to leave a prayer request. If you’d rather not advertise to everyone on the blogosphere, just leave an unspoken prayer request or e-mail me. If I forgot your prayer request, e-mail me. Not to be mean or anything, but if you don't e-mail me or comment to update your prayer request, I'm only going to pray 3 Sundays. Lord, you are holy. Please give Jaen and her family strength and grace. Cover them with your peace and provide for them. Shower them with blessings, Lord. I pray Angie B.'s daughter's surgery went well, and that you heal her quickly and smoothly. Give Nancy B.'s aunt and family your grace and strength. I pray for healing for Synner's dad. Ease his discomfort and help Synner to care for him and prepare for the conference. Give Gail, Bob, and Brenda your abundant grace. Help Heather to not listen to Satan's lies. ...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.18.2006 Blog book giveaway: My Monday book giveaway is GEORGIA ON HER MIND by Rachel Hauck . My Thursday book giveaway is MURDER, MAYHEM, AND A FINE MAN by Claudia Mair Burney . You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Monday, I'll draw the winner for GEORGIA ON HER MIND and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Arousing Adam : "True femininity calls forth true masculinity." I didn't like this because it seemed to imply that women need men. I'm sure many women want a husband, but not all women will get a good one. And there are lots of single women still struggling with their singleness. Many of them are strong, spiritual women who are truly feminine, but for some reason they haven't met the right guy yet. This statement implies that if you're "truly feminine" you'll bring out "true masculinity" in a man. I think it's kind of insensitive to ...

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.17.2006 Ooooh man you guys are in for a treat today! My good friend Claudia Mair Burney (and she really is my good friend, she just told me I'm her "new best friend" and I have the e-mail for blackm--er, proof) is guest blogging with me today! Claudia's debut mystery chick-lit novel is  MURDER, MAYHEM, AND A FINE MAN (doesn't that title just tantalize you?). For Amanda Bell Brown, turning forty is murder! How's a woman supposed to grapple with romance and faith when she finds herself in the middle of mysteries--and not the God kind? Life as a forensic psychologist isn't quite as cool as prime-time television would have us believe, and most of us just don't have closets full of red-carpet gowns and bling. Instead of painting the town red in a drop-dead gorgeous dress, this boring therapist finds herself at the scene of a crime. Amanda Bell Brown just may know who the killer is. She needs to spill her guts, but not ...

Captain’s Log, Supplemental I’ve often recommended Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake method to writers because even just a few of the steps have been so useful for writing synopses as well as a novel. I also learned all about the basic foundations of good story-writing when I took Randy’s Fiction 101 track at Mount Hermon Christian Writers Conference in 2004. Now (and I really mean now , as in “you have until noon Pacific Standard Time tomorrow”) you can download his Fiction 101 workshop audio file for only $24. It’s six hours long (so it might take a little while to download if you have dial-up) and it’s chock-full of awesome writerly goodness. I can’t recommend this audio workshop enough. And he’s not paying me for this endorsement, either. He’s just a darn good teacher and I’ve learned a great deal from him.

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.13.2006 Leave any prayer requests in the comments and I’ll be praying this week. You don’t have to be Christian to leave a prayer request. If you’d rather not advertise to everyone on the blogosphere, just leave an unspoken prayer request or e-mail me. If I forgot your prayer request, e-mail me. Not to be mean or anything, but if you don't e-mail me or comment to update your prayer request, I'm only going to pray 3 Sundays. Thank you, Lord, for another good day. Give Jaen and her family strength and grace. Be with them in the grieving process and provide for them. Please help Angie B.’s daughter prepare for surgery on Tuesday and I pray it goes smoothly and well. Help her to heal quickly, and I pray you will show her your abundant love for her. I lift up Nancy B.’s aunt and her family to you, Lord. I pray you will ease her suffering and that you give grace and strength to everyone involved. I lift up Synner’s dad to you and pray you will shrink his tu...